Ronaldinho was just 48 hours away from joining Manchester United before a late twist saw him sign for Barcelona instead, according to the Brazilian star himself. The revelation comes as a new documentary brings his career to a new generation.
United legend Paul Scholes recalled the near-miss on the Savage Social podcast in 2020. He said the club was close to announcing Ronaldinho and even assigning him a squad number during pre-season, but the player changed his mind at the last minute. Scholes described the excitement among the squad, comparing Ronaldinho's potential impact to that of Eric Cantona.
Ronaldinho, speaking to FourFourTwo in 2014, explained that Sandro Rosell, then running for Barcelona presidency, had promised he would join if Rosell won. When Rosell called to say he was likely to win, Ronaldinho honoured his pledge. The Brazilian told United he had chosen Barca, and the deal was completed swiftly.
Instead of Ronaldinho, United used the money to sign his international teammate Kleberson and a young winger named Cristiano Ronaldo. While Kleberson's impact was limited, Ronaldo went on to become one of the greatest players in the club's history, softening the blow of missing out on Ronaldinho.
